Flag container and attaching means



20, v1959 s. CROWDER 2,909,147

' FLAG CONTAINER AND ATTACHING MEANS Filed Aug. 27, 1956 fizz 2.212272 a/omv A? 6. Clean/05R United States Patent O FLAG CONTAINER-AND ATTACHING MEANS John R. S. Crowder, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Martha H. Crowder, Chicago, 111.

Application Au ust 27, 1956, Serial No. 606,503

6 Claims. Cl. 116-173) invention relates to a flag container and attaching means.

Advertising and publicity campaigns, and particularly political campaigns, frequently involved the use of flags having the desired emotional, inspirational or other indi cia-irnprinted thereon. In order to assure wide distribution and. use of these flags, it is desirable that they be readily attachable to some existing flagstaif member such, for example, as is provided by the tubular radial antenna with-which most automotive vehicles are provided. It is further desirable that such flags be inexpensive but at the same time constructed of a durable material so that they will not become frayed or worn during the period of intended use.

Itis further desirable that means be provided for readily attaching such flags to existing flagstaifs. Heretofore, an undesirable item of expense in the merchandising and distribution of such flags has resided in the cost of containers for. the flags and attaching means. The instant flag-.as soldis accompanied by an attaching means. It is usually necessary or desirable that they be packed in some box or container and it frequently happens that the cost of the box or container approximates the total cost of the flag and attaching means.

It is an object, therefore, of this invention to provide a flag attaching meanswhich, at the same time, provides a satisfactory and attractive container in which the flag may be distributed and sold or inwhich the flag maybe storedrwhen notinuse.

According to the present invention, this desired result is accomplished by providing a tubular casing of resilient material which is open at each end and which is provided with a longitudinal opening along one side to which the rolled flag may be inserted. One side of the tubular casing is preferably flattened somewhat to afford a surface on which may be imprinted any desirable data such, for example, as the name and address of the manufacturer, the trade mark by which the product is designated or the like. When it is desired to attach the flag to a flagstaif, it is only necessary that the same be removed from the casing through the longitudinal side opening, an edge of the flag wound about the flagstaif, and the casing engaged thereover to resiliently grip the edge of the flag between its inner surface and the outer surface of the flagstafi.

It is accordingly an important object of the present invention to provide a flag container and attaching means of simple and inexpensive construction which may be used as a merchandising package, a storage package for the rolled flag and which, at the same time, serves as a convenient and effective attaching means for securing the flag to a flagstaif.

Other and further important objects of the present invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the flag attaching means of this invention in association with the flagstafr' 2,909,147 Patented Qct. 20,

. 2 7 I member, such as a radio antenna holding the flag in dis: play position thereon;

Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the flag container. and attaching means of this invention showing the. rolled; flag positioned within the tubular casing which forms both the container and the attaching means;

Figure '3 is a section on the line IIIIII of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an elevation view showing a side of the container opposite to the longitudinal opening therein; and

Figure 5 is a section on the line VV of Figure 1.]

As shown on the drawings:

The tubular casing which forms the combined containe and flag attaching means of this invention is generally designated by the reference numeral and is preferably: made of extruded plastic-resin material such, for exam;

, ple, as cellulose acetate, although it may be formed of any resilient sheet-like material.

The tubular casing has a somewhat flattened portion 10a, reentra'nt portions 10b and outwardly flaring edge portions 10c which decline in longitudinal opening ex tending along the entire length of one side ofthe casing.

' as shown in Figure 3 or carried for display on a tubular flagstatf member 13 which, for exemplary purposes, is shownin Figure 1 as a tubularradio antenna of an automotive vehicle.

Figure 5 illustrates the manner in which the flag 11 is secured along one edge to the tubular flagstaff members 13. As shown in Figure 5, an end portion 11a of the flag 11 is wound about the tubular member 13 after which the casing 10 is engaged thereover so that the inner surface of the flat portion of the casing 10 in the re-entrant portions 1% of that casing grip said portion 11a of the flag firmly to the outer surface of the tubularflagstaif member 13. I

The flattened portion 10a of the casing affords a de sirable surface on which may be'imprinted identifying. indicia such as the name of the manufacturer, a desired trademark or any other desired decorative or identifying indicia. The manner in which such indicia may be im printed on said surface 10a is indicated by the reference numeral 14 and I have found that such indicia readily may be imprinted on the casing by a simple roll printing operation.

By using a polyvinyl resin impregnated cloth as a material for the flag 11, the flag is given a certain stiffness which holds it in display position and, at the same time, it retains suflicient flexibility so that it may be rolled and re-rolled for storage within the casing 10 without destroying or impairing the attractiveness of the indicia imprinted thereon. Furthermore, such impregnation renders the flag weather-resistant.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that I have provided a flag container and attaching means which is simple and inexpensive, serving the combined functions of providing a container in which the flag may be carried in rolled position for sale, distribution or storage, such container at the same time providing a convenient and efiicient means [for attaching the unrolled flag to a flagstalf by resilient gripping of an edge of the flag between the fiagstaff and said container.

The provision of the surface 10a on which identifying or other indicia may be imprinted adds to the salability of the device.

I am aware that details of construction may be varied without departing from the principles of this invention and I therefore do not propose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, an elongated open-end tubular casing of resilient material having a curved side portion, a'pai'rof longitudinal edge portions connected'to-the side portion and defining a longitudinal opening'extending along the entire length of the casing and parallel to'the longitudinal axis of said side portion, re-entrant portions extending along each edge portion of the casing parallel to the opening therein to add resiliency to the casing in a transverse plane and rigidity to the casing in a longitudinal plane thereof, a flagstalf member and a flag wound thereabout having an end portion, the re-entrant portions and said side portion of the casing resiliently clamping said end portion of the flag to said flagstatf leaving said edge portions of the casing extending outwardly and away from the clamped portion of the flag to provide longitudinal surface portions guarding the flag from injury during movement thereof around said flagstalf member.

' 2. A flag container, comprising a flag and an openended casing therefor having a side portion and opposed spaced and generally V-shaped edge portions defining a longitudinal opening extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the side portion, the vertices of the V- shaped edge portion resiliently bearing against the flag and maintaining said flag against the inner surface of the side portion.

3. In a package combination, an elongated open-end tubular casing of resilient material having sides and a longitudinal opening along the entire length and parallel to the axis thereof, a generally flat portion opposite said opening, generally 'V-shaped re-entrant portions extending along each side of the casing parallel to the opening therein to add resiliency to the casing in a transverse plane and rigidity to the casing in a longitudinal plane thereof, and a rolled flag insertible through said longitudinal opening and resiliently held within said casing to prevent the rolled flag from being folded transversely of its longitudinal axis.

4. In combination, an elongated open-end tubular casing of resilient material having sides and a longitudinal opening along the entire length and parallel to the axis thereof, re-entrant portions along each side of the casing parallel to the opening therein to add resiliency to the casing transversely thereof and rigidity to the casing lon-' gitudinally thereof, a flagstaif member resiliently engaged by said casing, and a flag having an end portion engaged around said fiagstatf member gripped to the outer surface of said flagstaff member by the re-entrant portions of said casing whereby the gripped portion of the flag is held substantially rigid while its opposite end is free to flap.

5. In combination, an elongated open-end and open sided C-shaped tubular casing of resilient material having a longitudinal opening along the entire length and parallel to the axis thereof, slightly flattened portion on that side of the casing opposite said opening to -provide an advertising surface thereon, re-entrant portions of V-shaped configuration 'along' each sidetof the casing parallel to the opening therein to add resiliency to the casing transversely and rigidityto the casing longitudinally thereof, flat longitudinal surface portions extending along said opening, and a rolled flag insertible through said longitudinal opening and resiliently held within said casing, whereby the rolled flag can not be folded transversely of its longitudinaLaxis.

6. A package for ready-to-use foldable flag comprising a rolled flag and an elongated open-end tubular casing of resilient material having a longitudinal opening along the entire length and parallel to the axis thereof, said tubular casing being slightly flattened on its closed side opposite said opening, said tubular casing having re-entrant portions extending longitudinally along and adjacent the edge portion thereof to add resiliency to the casing transversely thereof and substantial rigidity to the casing longitudinally thereof, said rolled flag insertible through said longitudinal opening and resiliently held therein against longitudinal folding thereof, whereby the rolled flag may be removed from the casing and 'have one end thereof assembled about a flagstaif member, and said flag resiliently clamped to said fiagstaff member by said tubular casing when the casing is placed about said end of the flag with said end interposed between said flagstalf member and the interior clamping portions of said casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent Sussenbach et a1 5 June 24,1952- 

